-
1 month ago | 
virginialiving.com | Hope Cartwright |Madeline Mayhood |Ashley Hunter |Eric Wallace
“Garnish with” this or that is the standard end step in a cocktail recipe. Though last, garnishes certainly shouldn’t be considered the least, providing both added adornment and taste. Olives bob at the bottom of a dry martini, and a leafy celery stalk juts out of a Bloody Mary—these classic final touches to signature drinks complete the creations. A Manhattan without a maraschino is just … meh. With garnishes, mixologists can fully flex their creativity.
-
Dec 9, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Hope Cartwright |Madeline Mayhood |Ashley Hunter |Konstantin Rega
The “lettuce connoisseurs” at Greenswell Growers in Goochland, as CEO Carl Gupton has dubbed himself and his team, produce about 700,000 pounds of lettuce a year—all out of an acre-and-a-half streamlined greenhouse facility. There, the plants grow from seed to salad-ready without any human hands. And though the indoor expanse of bright green sproutlings seems massive, traditional field farming techniques might require an area more than 20 times larger to yield the same amount .
-
Dec 4, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Madeline Mayhood |Dawn Klavon |Ashley Hunter |J Frank
When I can’t sleep and I’ve exhausted every social feed and no TV show can hold my attention, I turn to Facebook reels. Those videos are to me what “Baby Shark” is for babies. My absolute favorites have always been cookie-decorating videos, where tantalizing icing swirls onto smooth sugar cookies with ease. I’ve always wondered if it’s as easy as it looks. I soon found myself in an apron living my late-night dreams: a Christmas cookie-decorating class.
-
Nov 8, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Hope Cartwright |Heather Bien |Ashley Hunter |Markus Schmidt
The kitchen at Birch & Bloom, the modern steakhouse and bar at Kimpton The Forum Hotel in Charlottesville, presents no shortage of fresh Virginian ingredients—veritably high-quality and invaluable to the flavors found on plates and in cocktail glasses. For Daniel Beedle, the hotel’s chief mixologist and assistant food and beverage director, every last scrap of farm-fresh herbs, fruits, and other produce is worth using.
-
Aug 28, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Hope Cartwright |Frank Morgan |Ashley Hunter
Cat cafés are where furry friends and drinks make the perfect pair. Here is a list of cat cafés across Virginia!Cups and Claws10605 Jefferson Ave., Newport NewsCatnip Cat Café1611-B Colley Ave., NorfolkMount Purrnon Cat Café + Wine Bar109 S Alfred St., AlexandriaKitty Kingdom Cat Café565 Cedar Rd., Suite 12, ChesapeakePatriot Pawsabilities10687 Braddock Rd., FairfaxCatty Corner Café116 E. Market St., LeesburgMeows Corner21435 Epicerie Plz., Suite 115, SterlingKitty City Cat Café601 Salem Ave.
-
Aug 28, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Hope Cartwright |Frank Morgan |Sylvie Baggett |Ashley Hunter
By Craig StoltzCool Scandinavian flair rules at Stock Bistro, where Nordic cuisine takes center stage. Here are recipes from Stock Bistro/Fire Station 1 in Roanoke. Courtesy of Chef Jeff Farmer. Ski Queen Ice Cream SandwichThis recipe uses Ski Queen Gjetost Cheese, which has a mild caramel flavor. It’s available in many grocery stores.
-
Jul 27, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Hope Cartwright |Madeline Mayhood |Ashley Hunter
Bonnie Blue Southern Market and Bakery opened in a historic, downtown Winchester Esso gas station in 2012 with a bang—Southern-style breakfast biscuits and pastries crafted by former Ashby Inn chef, Brian Pellatt, would sell out within an hour, and sometimes in just 15 minutes. Rampant popularity led Pellatt and his partners to purchase an adjacent brick building and add a 70-seat, ’50s-diner-style dining room, cozy outdoor seating area, and meat-smoking pavilion.
-
Jul 22, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Hope Cartwright |Madeline Mayhood |Dawn Klavon |Ashley Hunter
Find a different kind of music festival in Front Royal this summer at Appaloosa. Bluegrass, Americana, and Celtic tunes pour out from the stages, the acoustic strumming and folksy strains filling the late summer air. Over Labor Day weekend, Aug. 31–Sept. 1, retreat to the nostalgic Skyline Ranch Resort, where authentic American homegrown music converges to create an unforgettable sonic experience tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
-
Jul 12, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Madeline Mayhood |Dawn Klavon |Ashley Hunter |Konstantin Rega
Loudoun County is prime horse country. Middleburg especially is teeming with equines and their riding companions. Foxrock Stables and the Salamander Resort’s Equestrian Center draw horse lovers of all experience levels from both near and far, while the annual Middleburg Spring Races are a premier destination for witnessing thoroughbred athletics. With all these horses and people who love them dearly, Middleburg has an obvious need for an equine-specific medical facility.
-
Jul 11, 2024 | 
virginialiving.com | Madeline Mayhood |Dawn Klavon |Stephanie Ganz |Ashley Hunter
He was known as the “Guru of Ganache,” a moniker he adopted when chocolate became his calling. Armed with a degree from the Culinary Institute of America, Marcel Desaulniers cooked his way through the 1960s in Manhattan’s swishiest restaurants and fell madly in love with sweets.
